Selena 15 years after her death: Singer influenced, inspired many Latinas

CORPUS CHRISTI - When Selena and Selina Gonzalez celebrate their quinceañera this year, among the first songs played will be "Como La Flor."

After all, the twins were named after the Tejano singer.

This year, the 15th anniversary of Selena's death, also marks the coming-of-age quinceañeras of the 619 babies born in Texas in 1995 who were named after the star.

"It's an honor to be named after her because she was one of us," Selena Gonzalez said. "She was a Mexican-American girl who made it to the top and never forgot where she came from."

Selena started singing at the age of 6. Three years later when her dad formed Selena y Los Dinos, the family group started playing at backyard weddings and private functions. By the end of her career, Selena was performing in front of audiences of more than 60,000.

She won a Grammy in 1993, and opened two fashion boutique stores shortly after. She was killed 15 years ago today, March 31, 1995, by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her fan club, who is serving a life sentence.

"There haven't really been any stars to fill that space she once filled," said author Deborah Paredez, who discusses the continued popularity of Selena in her book "Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the Performance of Memory."

"For Latinas, she exemplified and affirmed their culture," Paredez said.

That's why Selena and Selina Gonzalez's mother Elena, named both of the girls after the star when she gave birth July 12, 1995.

The twins first learned of their namesake when they were about 10 years old and were moving to a different house. Both read an article that was written about their birth and the growing number of girls named Selena in 1995. In Nueces County, there were nine from April 1 to Sept. 8.

"Her death had a profound effect on Latinos," said Paredez, who also is the associate director for the Center for Mexican-American Studies at the University of Texas.

Selena died at a time when there were serious social and cultural issues affecting Latinos such as tremendous population growth, immigration reform and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"She was as symbol of hope," Paredez said.

Even before Selena's death, parents were naming their children after her.

"My dad hoped and prayed for a girl and when they found out I was a girl he begged my mom to name me Selena," said Selena Cumpian, a freshman at Miller High School who was born Sept. 8, 1994.

Selena Garcia, a freshman at Ray High School, said she was supposed to be named Samantha, but her parents opted for Selena when she was born Oct. 14, 1994, because they were big fans of the rising star who was memorialized in the 1997 film "Selena."

"Now my uncles and my family always say 'anything for Salinas,'" she said. "It's the most famous line from the Selena movie."

Selena Garcia said anywhere she goes, people ask if she was named after the singer.

Even though pop, rap and R&B singers such as Drake, Eminem and Taylor Swift are on their MP3 players, Selena Garcia and the Gonzalez twins said they always will feel a special connection to Selena.

"Sometimes when I am at home I get the urge to watch the movie," Selena Garcia said.

These Selenas (and Selina) all have visited the singer's museum, they have driven by her former Bloomington Street home, bought her CDs and visited her grave to learn as much as they can about her and her accomplishments.

Selina Gonzalez dreams of becoming a fashion designer just like the star she was named after, and feels that even though they never met, just maybe they share some of the same characteristics.

"I hear she loved to use humor and I love to make people laugh," Selina said. "She was a really good person who liked everyone. She helped people out and never forgot where she came from. I want to be like that."

"I hear she loved to use humor and I love to make people laugh. She was a really good person who liked everyone. She helped people out and never forgot where she came from. I want to be like that."